Deceased
Richard Mark Kiel
Demographics
37y, male
Date of death
2005-09-09
Finding date
2007-11-13
Cause of death
acute heart failure caused by multiple drug toxicity (methadone and alprazolam)
AI-generated summary
Richard Mark Kiel, a 37-year-old with chronic opioid addiction, died from acute heart failure caused by lethally high levels of methadone and alprazolam, likely consumed on 9 September 2005. His GP, Dr G., prescribed these medications (including benzodiazepines contraindicated with methadone) from March 2001 onwards despite knowing Kiel was a serious drug abuser with documented 'red flag' episodes including overdoses in 2003 and July 2005. Key failures included: no documented treatment plan, inadequate medical records, giving unwarranted benefit of doubt despite mounting evidence of addiction uncontrol, discounting the hospital's report of the July 2005 overdose, and authorizing early release of 250 methadone tablets two months post-overdose without challenging inconsistencies in Kiel's account. Specialised expert witnesses found Dr G.'s management fell short of good practice. The death was preventable with more rigorous patient management, proper documentation, and appropriate scepticism of an untrustworthy, drug-seeking patient.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Drugs involved
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